Frequently Asked Questions

FAQs about the Canberra Accord

  • The Canberra Accord is a transparent, peer review system for determining substantial equivalency between accreditation systems in architectural education.

    Signed in 2008 and operational since January 2010, signatories to the Accord have concluded that their accreditation systems are substantially equivalent in terms of satisfying the academic requirements for the practice or architecture at the professional level.

  • A Canberra Accord signatory enters into a multilateral agreement with organisations having established systems for the accreditation / validation of architectural education programs that have been agreed are substantially equivalent. This agreement aims to facilitate the international mobility of graduates in architecture, by making the portability of educational credentials between signatory domains easier and contribute to improving architectural education through benchmarking.

    For other benefits as a signatory, please refer to Section 2.0 of the Canberra Accord on Architectural Education Operational Rules and Procedures (2020) about the rights and responsibilities of signatory membership.

  • By substantially equivalent, it means that all the Canberra Accord signatories will have comparable, active, and robust accreditation systems which are underpinned by commonly agreed principles and criteria for the accreditation of architectural programs that are similar. Educational qualifications accredited by one signatory are accepted as substantially equivalent and recommended for recognition by all signatories, subject to additional requirements imposed by local regulations.

  • There is a set of requirements for all signatories to comply with that are laid down in Section 7.0 as well as other requirements stated in the Canberra Accord on Architectural Education Operational Rules and Procedures (2020). These include the required characteristics, principles, criteria and other requirements to become a signatory member.

    A snapshot of compliance is required to be reviewed by each signatory themselves and reported to the Accord’s Interim and General Meetings. The compliance of each signatory will be regularly reviewed by a periodic review team drawn from the Canberra Accord’s pool of experts at intervals of not more than six years. The signatory systems are expected to make every reasonable effort to comply with the schedule and documentation requirements.

FAQs about joining the Accord

  • A signatory member of the Canberra Accord is NOT a country but an architecture accreditation agency that operates within internationally accepted guidelines for good practice and which, through peer review, has demonstrated it operates in a comparable way to other signatories. Signatory status is normally preceded by a period of up to two years as a provisional member (see Section 2.2 on Provisional Members of the Canberra Accord on Architectural Education Operational Rules and Procedures (2020) and is maintained by being successfully subjected to periodic reviews at intervals of not more than six years (see Section 2.4 on Signatory Member Status Maintenance and Periodic Review of the above Operational Rules and Procedures).

  • Application processes for new signatories are located in the Canberra Accord on Architectural Education Operational Rules and Procedures (2020) document (Link:XXXX) Section 9.0: Becoming a Provisional Member of the Accord.

  • Signatory members pay an annual subscription fee for continued Canberra Accord membership. They also pay the associated costs of their six-year cycle of periodic review visits by the Accord.

FAQs for the Students and Graduates

  • The Canberra Accord sets out the requirements of the characteristics, principles, and criteria for all signatories to benchmark their accreditation systems for substantial equivalency. By recognizing the substantially equivalence of the accreditation/validation systems of its signatory members, the Accord encourages portability of education credentials between signatory domains, which can facilitate the international mobility of graduates in architecture.

  • The Accord recognizes the substantial equivalency of the accreditation systems of its signatory members and the educational programs they accredit. It does not accredit schools of architecture. The list of accredited programs recognized by the Canberra Accord has been published ¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬here. (a hyperlink to the correct web page).

  • NO. The Canberra Accord deals with architecture accreditation agencies and not countries. The multilateral accord between signatories is an agreement on the substantial equivalency of their established systems for the accreditation of architectural education programs. To be permitted to work in another signatory member domain or territory, it is necessary to check the requirements as set out in their related local laws and regulations.

  • NO. The Canberra Accord does not assist with visas and work-permits. The role of the Canberra Accord is limited to recognizing the substantial equivalence between the accreditation systems of its signatory members and in so doing, facilitating easier portability of accredited degrees between the domains of its members.

  • NO, only accredited programs of that signatory member will be on the Canberra Accord accredited programs list, and only graduates from Canberra Accord accredited programs can enjoy the benefits of being a Canberra Accord signatory graduate.

  • The Canberra Accord recognises the qualifying degrees from the accredited programs of its signatory members and aims to ensure the portability of mutually recognized degrees between the domains of its members. As professional registration requirements may vary between territories, you will need to put your individual case to the registration board of the country to which you intend making such application.

  • The Canberra Accord recognizes the qualifying degrees from the accredited programs of its signatory members. If both your undergraduate and postgraduate degrees are accredited by Accord signatory members, they will be recognized by the Accord. While the Canberra Accord signatory member country where you graduated may accept your highest qualification as entrance to registration, registration boards in the territories other signatory members may have varying views on parity, and you will need to submit your own situation in your application.

  • YES. If, when you gained your architecture qualifications they were accredited by an agency that was a Canberra Accord signatory member at the time, they are still considered substantially equivalent by current signatories, even if the organization that originally accredited them has since left the Accord.

  • Graduates of architecture programs accredited by a Canberra Accord signatory member, contemplating moving to another signatory member domain, should in the first instance contact their own registration board for guidance and support, who in turn will notify the Canberra Accord Secretariat. It remains the onus of graduates to drive the process.

  • Signatory members may in some instances levy a fee to assist graduates validate their architectural credentials and/or offer advice, when contemplating moving from one signatory domain to another.